Kodaikanal's main rival as a premier hill resort is a Ootacamund (Ooty for short), which has often been described by Guide Book writers as the "Queen of the Indian Hill Stations".

Set at 2600 metres above sea level, Ooty's name is derived from "Ooty ka mandu" which means the village with a lake. Ooty nestles among the hills at a point where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet, giving the visitor a glimpse of both.

The first British came here in 1812 and were followed by other missionaries, educationists and civil servants. Later, it became the summer capital of the vast Madras Presidency. This also attracted many of the south Indian ruling families to build their summer residences.

Ooty offers to the visitor an unending array of walks and heights to conquer, not to mention the scenic beauty to be enjoyed in the most pleasant of climate.

Ooty is also the home of Todas, one of the earliest aboriginal tribes living in the hills. Only a thousand of them are still left.

The downs of Ootacamund could well be in Devon or Yorkshire. There are 80 km of them, offering golf, tennis and other sports. The Botanical Garden here was laid 130 years ago and boasts of 650 varieties of plants. Like Kodaikanal, its artificial lake adds to a charm of this hill resort. Conceived by Sullivan in 1823, it measures only 2 km but it offers good boat rides and excellent fishing. Near the lake's shore is the Herbert Park for weekly horse racing which brings the elite of India to this town.

Ooty is better known as the as the queen of hill station, 7,300 feet above sea level. This place is 530kms from Chennai and is about 130kms from Mysore.

The place of tourist interest is Ooty are Botanical garden's spread over 50 acres, lake, Doddabetta (10kms), Hindustan Photo Films(8kms) factory, Kelti Vally View, the Wenlock Downs, Lamb's Rock, Lady Canning Seat, Dolphin 's Nose, Dog Show of the India Kennel Club is held every year in the Botanical Garden. There is one Fossil tree trunk which is said to be 20 million years old. Other place of tourist interest in Tamilnadu are Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary (Coonoor Road, Ooty),Coonoor, the hill Station, Kotagiri another hill station.